At the Lafayette School in New Orleans, community members gathered to hear representatives from the Department of Transportation and Development and others discuss the New Orleans Rail Gateway Project. Many of those present were concerned that the current Rail Gateway will be re-located from its current position in Old Metairie, known as the Back Belt, to a new location in parts of Hollygrove and Mid-City, known as the Middle Belt.
(Jed Lipinski, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)

"It's still very early in the process," said DOTD communications director Rodney Mallett. "We're now gathering data for an environmental study on the impacts of where the train is now, and where the train could possibly go."

Dean Goodell, the Gateway program manager at the DOTD, said the Gateway team might have answers to logistical questions, such as how many trains would run along the proposed route, by this summer.

"Once we collect all the data," Goodell said, "only then we'll be able to look at impacts on communities: Who's going to benefit most, and who will get hurt the most."

The New Orleans Rail Gateway, the fourth largest rail gateway in the country, stretches from Avondale along the Huey P. Long Bridge through New Orleans. It provides an important distribution link for freight traffic in the area and services six national Class 1 railroads.

But the DOTD -- along with the Federal Railroad Administration and the New Orleans Regional Planning Commission -- have determined that the system requires an upgrade. The current freight demand frequently slows highway traffic, they say, and the track along the Almonaster Bridge often requires unscheduled maintenance.

The Gateway team said the goals of the study are to reduce vehicle congestion, improve emergency evacuation and improve pedestrian safety, among other things. And with the Port of New Orleans expecting cargo increases to also increase rail traffic to and from the port, delays on the Old Metairie, or Back Belt route, will become increasingly unacceptable.

But many of those who spoke out at the meeting on Thursday night worried that the ultimate goal of the Gateway project was to relocate the current railway from its position in upper-middle-class Old Metairie to the less affluent neighborhood of Hollygrove.

After Gateway project consultant Chris Gesing delivered a presentation about the various alternatives to the current Gateway route, members of the audience posed questions. One asked why a health impact assessment was not being conducted. Another wondered what sort of economic benefit the new railway would have as a whole, compared with the negative economic impact they felt it would have on Hollygrove and Mid-City should the rail follow the so-called Middle Belt route.

Speaking on behalf of the community, New Orleans City Councilwoman Susan Guidry said that the Middle Belt alternative is "not an acceptable option."

"Freight trains are at least a mile long," she said. "They're heavier, noisier and they contain hazardous materials. I'm told that the Middle Belt is one of three options. Well, they better start looking for another option."